Every year, five million lives are lost to cigarettes—the only known product that kills you even when “used as directed.” Last month, however, the city of Belmont took a laudable step towards ending this silent massacre. On Jan. 1, this Bay Area community passed one of the strictest set of anti-smoking laws in the United States, banning the use of tobacco anywhere within the city limits except for in private, detached residences. Belmont’s legislators have shown that it is possible to gain ground against the tobacco company giants whose intensive lobbying clips on many new laws in the bud. Palo Alto should follow Belmont’s lead and ban the sale and use of tobacco within its city limits as well. A tobacco-free Palo Alto would save lives, reduce our carbon footprint and make our city a more pleasant place to live.

Last month a friend of my family, Maria, was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 42. Although she herself has never lifted a cigarette to her lips, both of Maria’s parents were heavy smokers. Sadly, Maria’s story is not unique. Every year, over 50,000 people in the United States die from diseases caused by secondhand smoke. That’s about 15 percent of the total death toll from tobacco. It is true that everything we do, such as driving or flying, poses some inherent risk to ourselves and others, but smoking is a luxury. Tobacco users may be aware of the risk that they are taking, but by smoking in public they are spreading the health risks to others who haven’t given their consent. Essentially, smoking a cigarette is like blindly firing a gun—sooner or later someone’s going to pay the ultimate price.

One could argue that America is a free country, and therefore people have the right to smoke. The public, however, also has the right to enjoy clean air and healthy lungs. A similar argument could be made for drunk driving—every U.S. citizen with a driver’s license should have the right to use a car. However, driving under the influence is illegal because it could kill someone, infringing on his or her right to live. It is bewildering and frightening that our government ignores the 100 million lives that tobacco has claimed in the last 100 years alone—far more than auto accidents, hand guns and AIDS combined.

In addition to playing the grim reaper, the tobacco industry is a non-trivial contributor to global warming. Carelessly tossed cigarettes are one of the leading causes of human-induced fires. Tobacco manufacturing is also a substantial user of petrochemicals and pesticides. The United States Geological Survey estimates that 23 million pounds of pesticides (derived from oil) are applied to American tobacco fields each year, and far more than this globally. Tobacco is also a significant cause of global deforestation—mainly as a result of trees being cut down to make charcoal for curing the tobacco crop. Remember that each of the 300 billion packs produced in any given year has to be inked, packed, cartooned, crated and then trucked to its final destination—all of which burns oil and consumes several petrochemical resources. Finally, smoking the tobacco releases a plethora of greenhouse and carcinogenic gases. Like many smokers, Mother Earth is starting to feel the effects of tobacco’s toxins.

Palo Alto should take action, but we are not alone in this fight. There are examples and beacons of hope around the world, from Belmont to Bhutan, which in 2005 banned the use and sale of tobacco inside the entire country. Bhutan is the only nation without traffic lights in its capital and has had Internet and television for less than a decade, yet it is arguably the most progressive anti-smoking nation in the world. If they can gain ground against the tobacco companies, shouldn’t we be able to as well?

People are dying and our world is warming, yet when we see someone put a cancer stick up to their mouth, we simply hold our breath and walk quickly out of their filthy cloud. Palo Alto and its people need to follow Belmont’s and Bhutan’s lead and rise together to fight the ongoing smoking epidemic. The easiest way an individual can make a difference is to not smoke themselves and help their friends and family avoid the demon weed as well. Writing letters to government officials such as our mayor, Peter Drekmeier, could also help our city quit for good. A tobacco-free Palo Alto would mean a healthier, greener and cleaner community.